Approaching and Introducing the Second Conditional

Please note: I teach one-to-one online and, on the whole, teach grammar when the need naturally
arises during a lesson. The following plan is not a rigid one, can be stretched out over several
lessons, and is based on how I teach; but, it can be adapted for different teaching situations. Use
what you feel is necessary, and adapt and improve on everything here.

Usually, the need to teach the second conditional comes about during conversation, something like
this:

Me: So, what did you do yesterday?

Student: I was really busy yesterday.

Me: Are you normally busy?

Student: Yeah.

Me: If you had more free time, how would you spend it?

How I use the following materials and suggestions all depends on how my student deals that
question.

If you want to introduce the second conditional specifically (for example, for an exam, or if you know
that your student(s) don’t use it properly), you can talk about the lottery and use the first video (see
below). Here are a couple of questions that you can ask that lead into the key question:

– “Do you play the lottery?” -> follow up questions.

– “How much money can you win playing the lottery?” -> followup questions.

Have a little conversation about this, and then ask the key question:

– “If you won the lottery, what would you buy?”

It is the question that most students are familiar with when it comes to the second conditional, and
usually they can answer this one. When they can’t answer this, they usually understand the concept
behind it.

If not, go through the different forms used (if + past simple, would | would + if past simple) and that
they can be reversible. For example:

– If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car

– I would buy a new car if I won the lottery.

Now it’s time to talk about when it can be used before going into more examples.

When to use it

The next stage is to explain when the second conditional can be used: for imaginary / unreal
situations. From the first example, winning the lottery is an unreal situation, therefore, we use the
second conditional (with would) to talk about what we would do if that situation were true.

The if clause uses the past simple. At this point, I usually ask my student to complete some
sentences, and here are some examples:

– If I had more time, I…

– I would be really happy if…

– If I could travel anywhere in the world, I..

Try and think about more questions that are specific to your students and correct where necessary.

Introduce a video

Now is a great time to introduce a song (or this can be used as a warm up along with the talk about
the lottery). The following song by the Barenaked Ladies, fits perfectly with this lesson plan. It’s
called, “If I had a Million Dollars.”
After your student has watched the video, go over some of the lyrics. But first, introduce the
contracted form used in the song (I’d = I would). A good way to lead into this is to ask your students
if they noticed the contracted form, or by asking them to look out for it before the video.

Next ask, “What would the singer of the song buy or do if he had a million dollars?” There are lots of
examples in the video, including: a house, a car (K-Car), a tree-fort (with a fridge), a fur coat (not a
real one), an exotic pet (llama or emu), John Merrick’s remains, crazy elephant bones, your love,
expensive ketchups, art, and a monkey.

Some good conversations can result from this video.

How it is used for advice and was -> were

After you have gone through the video, put the following into Skype or on the board:

– If I _______ President, I would…

Most make the mistake here of putting in was instead of were. Show your students that was -> were
when using the second conditional. This is great to lead into the next use of the second conditional:
Using it for advice; here is an example:

– I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

At this stage, I usually explain that this can be used for advice, similar to using should. I then put
some problems into Skype and ask my students to answer them starting with, If I were you..

Use problems that are specific to your student, but some general ones are relationship problems (“I
think my boyfriend is cheating on me.”) or work problems (“I need a pay rise.”) I then go on to
explain that in most situations, the if clause (if I were you) is omitted.

Using ‘could’ and ‘might’ instead of ‘would’

I also like to point out that we can use could and might in place of would. To do this, I give my
students the following sentences and ask them to explain the difference.

– If I had more time, I could start learning the guitar.

– If I had more time, I would start learning the guitar.

Do the same with other sentences that are specific to the student.

A little practice

This can be done at anytime during the lesson, but it is a good idea to just do a few exercises to
make sure that your students understand how to form the second conditional. The following
questions can be done in class.

I always ask my students to read out the sentences instead of writing them out. These can also be
given for homework. I then try and ask similar questions related to my student after each question.

Comparison with the first conditional

Depending on what you have already taught, or what the student already knows, you can go into the
comparison between the first and second conditionals. The best way to do this is firstly show some
examples of the first conditional, explaining that this is used for real situations, and then show them
the following sentences, asking what makes them different.

– If I won the lottery, I’d buy a car.

– If I win the lottery tonight, I’ll buy a car tomorrow.

In the second sentence, the person has a ticket and is playing the lottery, while in the first example,
the person is imagining what it would be like to win the lottery.

Comparisons with the third conditional and wish

Going through the third conditional is perfect after the second conditional. I actually think the best
time to introduce this conditional is after reviewing the second conditional in a separate class. (Third
Conditional lesson plan to come).

Also, it is really beneficial to introduce the verb wish and how this is related to the second
conditional. The following will show this:

– I wish I had more time. If I had more time, I could do so much more.

– I wish we had more money. If we had more money, we could go on vacation this year.

– I wish it wasn’t raining, then we could go to the beach.

Explain how this relates to the 2nd conditional and that we use wish when we want a change of
circumstance.

Further videos and homework

For homework, I usually give a couple more videos and set a writing exercise. The first video is an
interview with different people asking them what they would buy if they won the lottery, and the
second video has lots of songs that use the second conditional:

For homework, you can give the above videos, more exercises, and ask your students to write some
sentences using the second conditional an

TYPE 2 CONDITIONAL

FORM

In a Type 2 conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the simple past, and the tense in the
main clause is the present conditional or the present continuous conditional.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)

If + simple past present conditional or present continuous conditional

If this thing happened that thing would happen.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the
pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is
identical.

EXAMPLES

If it rained, you would get wet.

You would get wet if it rained.

If you went to bed earlier you wouldn't be so tired.

You wouldn't be so tired if you went to bed earlier.

If she fell, she would hurt herself.

She would hurt herself if she fell.

FUNCTION

The type 2 conditional refers to an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its probable result. These
sentences are not based on the actual situation. In type 2 conditional sentences, the time is now or
any time and the situation is hypothetical.

EXAMPLES

If the weather wasn't so bad, we would go to the park. (But the weather is bad so we can't go.)

If I was the Queen of England, I would give everyone a chicken. (But I am not the Queen.)

If you really loved me, you would buy me a diamond ring.

If I knew where she lived, I would go and see her.

It is correct, and very common, to say "if I were" instead of "if I was" (subjunctive mood).

EXAMPLES

If I were taller, I would buy this dress.

If I were 20, I would travel the world.

If I were you, I would give up smoking.

If I were a plant, I would love the rain.

In type 2 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of "would" to
express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

EXAMPLES

We might buy a larger house if we had more money

He could go to the concert if you gave him your ticket.

If he called me, I couldn't hear.

THE PRESENT CONDITIONAL TENSE

The present conditional of any verb is composed of two elements:

would + the infinitive of the main verb, without "to"

Subject + would+ infinitive

He would go

They would stay

TO GO: PRESENT CONDITIONAL

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative Negative

I would go I wouldn't go Would I go? Wouldn't I go?

You would go You wouldn't go Would you go? Wouldn't you go?

He would go He wouldn't go Would he go? Wouldn't he go?

She would go She wouldn't goWould she go? Wouldn't she go?

We would go We wouldn't go Would we go? Wouldn't we go?

They would go They wouldn't go Would they go? Wouldn't they go?

omplete the Conditional Sentences (Type II) by putting the verbs into the correct form. Use
conditional I with would in the main clause.

If we had a yacht, we would sail the seven seas. (i)

If he had more time, he would learn karate. (i)

If they told their father, he would be very angry. (i)

She (spend)

would spent

a year in the USA if it was easier to get a green card.

If I lived on a lonely island, I would run around naked all day. (i)

We would help you if we knew how. (i)

My brother would buy a sports car if he had the money. (i)

If I felt better, I would go to the cinema with you. (i)

If you went by bike more often, you would not be so flabby. (i)

She would not talk to you if she were mad at you. (i)